Protea nubigena

Protea nubigena, commonly known as cloud sugarbush,[1][2] is a very rare species of a flowering shrub belonging to the Protea genus. It is endemic to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa[1][3] and is found in the uKhahlamba Basalt Grassland within the Royal Natal National Park, near Mont-Aux-Sources, at an altitude of about 2,250 metres (7,380 ft) in well-drained, humus-rich soil on shaded slopes.[1][4]

Cloud sugarbush
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Genus: Protea
Species:
P. nubigena
Binomial name
Protea nubigena

Description

The plant grows as an erect shrub which is up to 70 cm (28 in) high, and blooms from March to April. It is a long-lived species, and survives fires by resprouting from underground boles or rootstocks. The plant is monoecious with both sexes in each flower; the wind-dispersed seeds are not stored on the plant and are released immediately after ripening. It is pollinated by birds.[1][2]

Conservation

It is listed as 'critically endangered' on the SANBI red list, as the population of mature individual plants within the one known location are in decline, mostly due to poor fire management.[1][5]

References
  1. "SANBI Red List of South African Plants". Threatened Species Programme. 1 September 2006. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  2. Pajor, Istvan. "Grassland Sugarbushes". Protea Atlas Project. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  3. "Protea nubigena Rourke - Detail". African plant database. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  4. "Protea nubigena Rourke". Tropicos. 4 April 1978. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  5. Pajor, Istvan. "Protea nubigena CLOUD PROTEA in the Drakensberg". Protea Atlas Project. Retrieved 13 July 2020.

Sources
  • Pooley, Elsa (2003). Mountain flowers : a field guide to the flora of the Drakensberg and Lesotho. Durban South Africa: Flora Publications Trust, c/o Natal Herbarium. ISBN 978-0-620-30221-0. OCLC 53281866.


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